Flames
by McGeeklover
Summary: Harvey's hand paused over the doorknob, hearing this sound echo through the room. Dread filled his gut as he turned and ran back to where he left his associate. What he saw made him sick to his stomach; Mike was lying motionless on his side, blood pooling underneath his head.
1. Flames

**Flames**

**This is a two-shot(different stories, however) for EarthtoAlex who missed the prompt deadlines for 25 days… and I really liked her ideas. Hope you like it!**

He woke to the smell of something burning. Surely he didn't leave the stove on…and he remembered putting out his joint in the toilet. Yes, getting high was risky with the job that he has now, but he's been going through a ton of shit. His Grammy's death being one of them. Mike blinked open his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position on his couch. Scanning the room, it looked like everything seemed to be fine; must be some leftover smoke in the air. He closed his eyes and wiped his face tiredly; Harvey was right, he really needed to pull his shit together. Coughing, Mike opened his eyes again and looked at his watch.

"Shit!" He scrambled off the couch and ran to his closet. Harvey is gonna have his ass for being two hours late for work. In five minutes, he was grabbing his bike and heading for the door. He was in such a rush that he didn't even realize how hot it was or hear the faint sirens outside. And just as he opened the door he was met with growing flames engulfing the hallway. He could hear screams coming from inside other apartments and the heat of the fire making him sweat profusely. Mike paled as he began to back up into his apartment and head for the windows. But at that moment, he heard cracking coming from overhead and his ceiling caved in, things from the apartment above falling through…things that were on fire.

"Fuck." Now he was screwed…and trapped. There was no way out. The smoke began to enter his apartment causing Mike to cough and back up against his couch. The heat was nearly unbearable and his eyes were starting to burn. Another part of the ceiling started to fall and he jumped to the side just as the beam fell mere inches from where he was standing. It was getting harder to breathe, tears were filling his stinging eyes, and he felt like being in an oven. All exits were blocked and there was no way he was getting out of here alive. He was dying today…and he always thought Harvey would be the one to kill him.

~+SUITS+~

Harvey tapped his foot impatiently as Ray drove down the street in the shitty New York traffic. And he wouldn't _be_ in the shitty New York traffic if Mike wasn't two hours late for work. When he reached that kid, he was gonna strangle him; Mike knew how important this client was to him and now they probably got fired…and that is what's gonna happen to Mike if he didn't have a good explanation for being late.

"Oh no." Ray said, slowing down.

Harvey perked up and frowned as he leaned forward to look through the windshield. What he saw made his heart stop; fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars were crowded around an apartment consumed in flames…Mike's apartment that was in flames. This would probably be a good explanation. Frantic, he dialed Mike's number, silently praying the kid was alright…but no one answered.

"Dammit Mike." This couldn't mean what he thought it meant. Mike couldn't be dead. He swung open the car door and bolted outside, pushing past the onlookers. Mike can't be dead, Mike can't be dead, please don't let Mike be dead. Just as he got next to a fire truck, the crowd started screaming causing him to stop and look up. Now he felt like he wanted to puke; the building was collapsing in on itself, the fire eating it up.

"No, no, no." He had to see if Mike was okay. He dialed the kid's number again as he quickly began walking towards the building. And he still got voicemail. "Come on, kid answer the phone." He stalked up to a fire-fighter who was on his walkie-talkie staring up at the building.

"Hey!" He shouted over the crowd and sirens. "Did you get anyone out yet?"

The fire-fighter looked down at him and nodded. "A few people. Is someone you know live here?"

"Yeah um…my associate; he has blonde hair, skinny, wearing a suit. Have you seen him anywhere?"

Under the hat shading his face, Harvey could see the man pale. "What? What is it?"

"Um…I'm not sure if you want to hear this but…my guys pulled out a guy matching his description. He was nearly all charred up; I'm sorry, sir."

Harvey swallowed as he fell back against a nearby car. This couldn't be happening; Mike- the guy he considered a little brother- was dead just like that. He wiped a shaky hand down his face as his breathing became erratic. Donna wasn't going to-

"Harvey?"

The man's heart leapt to his throat as he pushed himself away from the vehicle and turned around. That voice sounded so familiar, but Mike was dead right? Maybe he was just imagining things.

"Harvey!" He scanned the crowd and sure enough he saw Mike sitting in the back of the ambulance, face a bit blackened from soot, and wrapped in a blanket. Relief filled his entire body; he was finally able to breathe. Mike was alive and that's all he cared about at the moment. A small smile formed on his mouth as he quickly ran over to the kid.

"Mike!"

"H-Harvey?" Mike coughed. "What are you doing here?"

"Coming to bring your ass into work…but it seems that you've got other things on your mind."

"Yeah," Mike laughed humorlessly. "I can't believe it…I lost _everything._"

"Look on the bright side, now you can live in a decent apartment."

Mike barely smiled; there was no bright side to this. Everything that his grandmother owned and the _only_ picture of his family had been in there. It really sucked ass.

"You okay?" Harvey said as he sat down next to his associate.

"Not really." Mike pulled the blanket tighter around him. Despite feeling like he just came out of an oven, he was so cold. He wiped his nose on his sleeve as he looked up at his destroyed building with a shudder.

Without thinking, Harvey placed a hand on the kid's back which earned him a confused glance. But he didn't say anything…yet. "It'll be okay, kid, I promise. You can stay at my place if you want."

Mike smiled weakly. "Thanks Harvey."

"Doesn't mean you'll live there forever like we're a married couple."

Rolling his eyes, Mike chuckled. "You know…it sounds a lot like you care."

The smile disappeared from Harvey's face. "Alright, if you tell anyone I said this I'll deny it and I will kill you, but yeah I was worried like crazy; I thought you were dead, kid."

"You know, I thought I was too. I actually don't even remember how I got out."

"You don't remember? That's a first."

"Yeah…I was trapped- both exits were blocked. I fell to the ground and that was it; I honestly thought I was gonna die."

"Well, you're not getting away from me that easily."

"Lucky me."

Harvey chuckled as he playfully pushed Mike to the side. He was never gonna take the kid for granted ever again.

**FIN**


	2. It Was an Accident

**It Was an Accident**

**Here is the next installment; once again, completely different story from the first chapter. Hope you like it!**

Harvey was fuming as he stood in the conference room…an empty conference room. The meeting they had was a complete bust, he looked like a complete idiot and the firm had lost a five billion dollar client. Jessica was not gonna be happy. And why? Because Mike Ross had failed to show. Harvey glanced at his watch impatiently before huffing angrily. _Where the hell was that kid? He could've sworn he saw that disastrous contraption in the bike rack._ He decided he couldn't wait anymore and left the room in search of his missing associate, ready to murder him. He went to the bullpen, but there was no luck there so he went to the next possible place. He barged into the file room, turned down a few aisles and sure enough Mike was sitting at the table, his headphones blasting with music, oblivious to the world around him. In a streak of rage, Harvey stalked up and ripped the wires from Mike's ears.

"Ah! What the he- Harvey? What was that for?"

"Don't play dumb; you knew we had an important client who meant _everything_ to this firm and guess what? We lost him, because you decided to slack off and skip the meeting.

Mike was nearly shocked beyond words. He stood up to defend his case, not gonna let Harvey rag on him when he had a legitimate reason for not showing.

"Louis said-"

"I don't give a _shit_ what Louis told you to do. You work for me, Mike. Me! And once again you betray me for Louis? There are no third chances, kid."

"Harvey, wait you don't understand-"

"That's right, I don't understand. I don't understand how you could go behind my back _again_ for that rat-face bastard!" Harvey shook his head in disbelief. "We're done; pack your things." The man turned around and started to leave. He had to get out before he decided to do something drastic…and then Mike had to open his mouth.

"Harvey-" Mike came up behind the older man. This couldn't be happening. Why wouldn't he listen?

Harvey turned around and shoved Mike back; not too hard, but hard enough to make him stumble. Harvey didn't stay to watch as Mike's feet got tangled in the chair causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards, striking his temple against the corner of the desk. His lights went out instantly and his body went limp. He continued to fall and within seconds, his head connected with the cement floor with a loud clunk.

Harvey's hand paused over the doorknob, hearing this sound echo through the room. Dread filled his gut as he turned and ran back to where he left his associate. What he saw made him sick to his stomach; Mike was lying motionless on his side, blood pooling underneath his head.

"Oh no." _Fuck! What has he done?_ He bolted over in a panic and rolled Mike over to inspect the wound. A deep gash was across the kid's temple, running to the tip of his ear, blood flowing out onto his face.

"Dammit, kid." He lifted Mike's boneless body into his lap; he needed to get help, but he'd left his phone in his office. Looking down, he noticed how deathly pale the kid was. And then it hit him…Mike could be dead. He hadn't checked his pulse yet. Swallowing, Harvey cautiously pressed his finger to Mike's neck. He sighed in relief; the pulse was weak but steady.

"Hang on, kid, you're gonna be alright. I'll get you out of here." While trying to figure out what to do, he heard the door open and a familiar voice ring out.

"Harvey, Jessica wants-"

"Donna, call an ambulance!"

The red-head came rushing around the corner at Harvey's frantic voice and was about to ask why…but there was no need to. She immediately dug out her cell and frantically yelled into the receiver. Harvey blocked out her voice, wincing as he looked at the bleeding gash. He had done this; he had pushed Mike and caused this happen.

"God kid, I'm so sorry."

And just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, Mike suddenly started convulsing in his arms. "Shit. Come on, Mike, don't do this. Donna!"

Donna stopped her pacing, looked at him and nearly dropped the cellphone. She quickly shouted at the operator before hanging up and going over to help. They laid Mike flat and made sure the kid didn't bite his tongue or bang his head. It seemed like forever, but the seizure finally stopped…along with his breathing.

"No! Mike! Come on kid, you can't clock out yet." _Please don't._ Donna began to sob as she watched Harvey get ready to start compressions. All of a sudden, the paramedics burst through the doors and were instantly on their knees by Mike's. Harvey and Donna were forced to step back and watch as the medics tried desperately to get Mike back to the world again. Harvey closed his eyes; if Mike died because of him, he'd _never_ forgive himself.

~+SUITS+~

Harvey wiped the stubble of his chin before moving up to rub his sore eyes. He hated himself; absolutely _despised_ himself because of this. Mike was in a coma because he had to be more of an ass than he was and push the kid. There was no need to have done that. Now…Mike may never wake up; the doctor said he might have a 50% chance of waking up, but the odds were against them all. They had lost Mike twice on the table as well as the time he died in the file room. It was just too much; the guilt was gonna eat him alive. If Mike didn't make it, he didn't know what he'd do. He sadly stared at the man who was white as a sheet; his breathing was raspy and slow…but maybe that was because of the ventilator _helping_ him breathe.

He thought back to how he blamed the kid for losing a big client and that after Mike had been brought to the hospital, he remembered the name his associate mentioned. Louis. That slick son of a bitch. He had stormed into the man's office and demanded answers. He nearly threw the guy out the window when Louis lazily confessed that he said Mike didn't have to go to the meeting, because Harvey had "cancelled it." Harvey wanted to scream, but instead he threatened the man, broke a couple of his stupid possessions and stormed out, not wanting to commit murder.

"God, I'm so sorry, kid," he whispered. "You should be happy; Donna is pissed at me, ripped me a new on when she found out what happened…but I'm not mad at you anymore; I found out what really happened and I should've listened to you."

Silence.

"Come on kid, it's been a week. You have to wake up and tell me what a complete jackass I am."

Sighing, he decided he didn't care about reputation or appearance. He grasped Mike's cold, limp hand and squeezed it tightly. _Please, Mike. Wake up._ "I'm sorry, Mike."

All of a sudden, he felt pressure in his hand; Mike was squeezing his hand! He sat up straight and stared at his associate's face.

"Mike? Mike, can you hear me kid?" The pressure then weakened as fast as it had tightened and it seemed like Mike had pulled away from consciousness. Harvey's hopes were dashed as he dejectedly sagged back into the chair. "Take your time, kid. I'll be here." He closed his eyes in exhaustion from lack a sleep…a week's worth of no sleep.

When he woke up, it was because of a nightmare. His eyes popped open in fear while searching the dimly lit room in confusion for where he was. Then he saw Mike lying motionless in a bed before him. _Hospital._ He straightened himself before wiping his face shakily. He had dreamed Mike had ended up for dying for good and blood had been _everywhere._ He placed a hand on the kid's chest and sighed in relief; Mike was alive and breathing.

"Shit." He didn't know how long he could take this. Seeing his little brother like this made him so sick. He swallowed and only then noticed that the breathing tube wasn't there. _When had that happened?_ He shook the cobwebs out of his head and was about to go get a doctor to riddle with questions, when he heard the smallest whimper come from the bed. He stopped and turned around to see Mike's hand bunching the sheet up in his fist and his forehead creased. He strode back over and gently wrapped a hand around Mike's arm.

"Mike? Mike! Wake up, kiddo."

Mike groaned hoarsely, his face screwed up in pain.

"Come on kid…"

Finally, after waiting for so many hours- so many _days_- Mike's eyes blinked open sluggishly. It was- surprisingly- the best sight Harvey ever witnessed. _Thank god._ Mike looked around in confusion before he met Harvey's eyes.

"Mmmm, Harvey? W-Why are you…" Mike yawned. He felt like he took a four year nap…and he still was tired. His head hurt as well and it was making him feel nauseous. "S-Sick…gonna b-be sick."

Harvey's eyes widened as he quickly grabbed the trashcan and helped Mike sit up just as the kid vomited; all the while Harvey offered words of comfort as he rubbed circles on the man's trembling back. It seemed like forever, but Mike finally finished and collapsed back on the pillows breathlessly.

"You okay?"

"N-Never better," Mike replied sarcastically, receiving a small grin from Harvey. "What happened to me?"

Harvey felt really uncomfortable now. He didn't know how to explain this without getting the kid worked up with anger. "You um…you hit your head on a table."

Mike looked expectantly at him, receiving a confused look from the older man.

"Aren't you gonna make fun of me for being clumsy?"

Harvey chuckled weakly and wiped his chin. "No, not this time."

Mike snorted. "Who are you and what have you done with Harvey Specter?"

"I don't know…guess I'm just tired. Donna wouldn't let me go to sleep until you woke up," he lied.

"Yeah right." Mike winced as his head pounded a bit more. He closed his eyes and leaned back into the pillows.

"What really happened Harvey?"

The man pursed his lips before patting the kid on the hand. "Get some sleep, I'll tell you when you wake up."

Mike didn't respond. He was already out, causing Harvey to chuckle. Quickly, he ran his fingers through the blonde hair and sighed heavily. He _really_ didn't want to tell the kid what happened, but it was gonna come out sooner or later…and he desperately wanted it to be later. But he guessed it would be an issue to deal with when they crossed that bridge.

**FIN…?**

**Thanks for reading! Hope it wasn't too OOC and I hope you liked this EarthtoAlex!**


End file.
